


Reckless Abandon

by dementorsatemysoup



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Humor, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Pre-Relationship, Stupid Boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-21
Updated: 2017-05-30
Packaged: 2018-08-10 02:43:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7827247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dementorsatemysoup/pseuds/dementorsatemysoup
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve finds a new way to shut Danny up</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't watch this show anymore, have no idea what's been going on these past few years, but for some strange reason I recently got really into McDanno. Long story short, I wanted to write something for this fandom, have no fricking clue what's canon and what's not, but decided to throw this together anyway because I've had too much caffeine and read too many McDanno fics. Also I lack self-control
> 
> So, anyway, thanks for reading and drop me a comment if you can.
> 
> Bye!!

Sometimes Steve really likes to push Danny's buttons. It's a hobby of his really, trying to see how far he can push his partner, wanting to test the limits of their relationship. The thing is, watching Danny get angry fascinates Steve. The way his voice becomes progressively louder the longer he rants; the way his face turns a startling red and that weird vein in his forehead sticks out; the way his hands (hands that are never quite still to begin with) flail wildly around until he's dangerously close to clipping the next person who dares walk within touching distance of him; the way his hair becomes wilder and wilder with each new build up of words. He's a firecracker wrapped up in a small body waiting for that spark to set him off and generally Steve is that spark.

But today Steve is not in the mood. They've been working the same robbery case for over a week, he's been running on coffee fumes and perseverance, and really listening to Danny rant right now is the last thing he wants to do. It's not even his fault this time, the rant, because Steve actually did everything by the book. He did everything exactly like Danny wanted it done because it had been a lot easier than arguing with his partner. In fact, he's not even sure what Danny's ranting about, but he knows it has something to do with Stan (maybe). And usually, usually Steve is all for the ranting. Whether it be about him or Rachel or Stan or that weird kid in the back of Grace's classroom that smells vaguely like ketchup. He's always ready to listen and give feedback if he can (even if sometimes it doesn't make a difference) because as much as he loves pushing Danny's buttons, he also wants to be there for him as much as he can without trekking down paths that he wouldn't dare mention outside of his own warped mind.

So Steve is on his last shred of patience, too tired to really think about what he's saying, and he's got this tiny man screaming in his general direction. So, it really shouldn't be his fault when he blurts, "Will you marry me?"

Danny falters when his brain registers what Steve just said, his eyes widening, his hands falling limply at his sides. He takes a step away from Steve, his neck slowly turning red, and he hoarsely asks, "W-what?"

Steve, who is maybe internally freaking out just a little bit over what he just said, clears his throat and forces himself to sound casual when he states, "Figured that'd get you to stop talking."

Danny is quiet for an entire minute before he shouts, "You thought proposing would get me to shut up?!"

It's going to be a _long_ drive home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't even know anymore, but I was asked for a second chapter, so here you go.
> 
> Thanks for reading

Shockingly, Danny doesn't bring up the proposal. In fact, for the next week it seems like he's pretending it never happened, and Steve wants to be okay with his choice. He wants to pretend it didn't happen, too, because he never meant to say it. He didn't want to be reminded that he couldn't keep a lid on his feelings anymore, didn't want to be forced to face one of the many things he has been hiding from for a while, but for some reason he almost needs to talk about it. He  _needs_ to clear the air, feelings returned or not, but he has no idea how to broach the subject, Danny isn't saying anything, and Steve is  _this close_ to losing his mind.

Sunday morning, after a long run followed by a few hours swimming, Steve is no closer to figuring out what he's going to do, but he  _knows_ he has to do something. He sits at his kitchen table, squinting at his phone, fingers itching to reach out, to call Danny, to demand they talk about this, whatever  _this_ is, but before he can do anything someone barges through his backdoor.

Steve's on his feet in an instant, reaching for a weapon he does not have, when he's shoved back a step. "What happens if I would have said yes?"

"Danny?" Steve takes another step back, furrowing his eyebrows, studying his partner. He looks a little frazzled, hair an unkempt mess, face a little red, eyes crazed and bright, but he's finally talking about the one thing Steve has wanted to talk about all week. Something must have cracked the denial Danny had been living in, and now that he's ready to talk about it, Steve isn't so sure he wants to do this anymore. So, in true McGarrett fashion, he ignores Danny's question and instead asks, "Are you okay?"

"No, Steven, I am not okay," Danny shouts, pacing back and forth, dragging his fingers through his hair. "You drop this... bombshell on me and then you refuse to talk about it."

"Hey, I was following your lead," Steve argues, holding up a placating hand.

"My lead?  _My_ lead?"

"Yes,  _your_ lead. I figured you'd say something in the car afterward, but you said nothing. I figured maybe you were waiting until after work to say something, but again you said nothing. You had ample opportunity to say something, but all week you refused to talk about it." Steve sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. "Look, if you want to pretend it never happened that's fine, but I don't know..." he trails off, gesturing helplessly.

For a moment, Danny is at a loss for words. He's rarely speechless, always has something to say, even if it's unneeded or unwanted, so seeing him struggle like this isn't something Steve is used to, and he isn't completely sure how he feels about this.

Finally Danny huffs and says, "Your proposal has been noted. Acceptance is pending." He then turns on his heel and stalks out of Steve's house, slamming the door behind him, and Steve can't help snorting.

That went well.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story didn't feel complete, but now it does. So thank you guys for putting up with me, and if I get inspired I might write another. I don't know yet.
> 
> Thanks for reading and commenting.
> 
> Bye!!

Contrary to popular belief, Steve doesn't hate paperwork. He finds it completely unnecessary and wishes he didn't have to do it, but he understands why it has to be done. It's just tedious and boring, and he's never handled idleness well; even when he had been a kid. He'd rather be out in the field doing something, but even Five-O has their quiet days, and today just so happens to be one of them.

He's sitting behind his desk, staring blankly at his monitor, wondering if he can get away with taking lunch early, when he feels eyes on him. Slowly. he looks up, looking around, but everyone else is doing their own things. Shaking off the feeling, figuring boredom might be getting to him, he returns his gaze to his computer. He types a couple more words, making a face when he reads them over. This is a complete waste of time, and, okay, maybe he hates paperwork just a little bit.

He gives up on the report, needing a mental break, and props his elbow on his desk, resting his head in his hand, looking towards the window. It's such a nice day. He has his surfboard in the back of his truck, and really taking lunch two hours early isn't within the realm of impossibility. He's the boss, he could take lunch all day, and really the only person who'd have a problem with it would be Denning. And Danny. Probably.

He feels someone staring at him again, and he drops his arm to his desk. He scans the area, but he only finds the others still doing their own work. Well, Danny and Chin are working while Kono leans back in her chair, head tilted back, eyes closed, looking just as bored as Steve feels. Maybe during his lunch break escape he'll take her with him, get them both out of the office. Hell, if he could swing it, he'd take Danny and Chin too, but he has a feeling Danny would be the one he'd have to convince to get out. Chin usually rolls with stuff and probably wouldn't disagree with taking a two hour lunch.

Speaking of Danny, Steve lets his eyes settle on the other man. They hadn't exactly talked about the incident in Steve's kitchen, not seriously anyway, and the whole ordeal left more questions than answers. Did acceptance pending mean Danny had actually thought about it? And if that's the case, did that mean Danny had thought about the prospect of him and Steve together? Should they even be thinking about getting married when they weren't even dating? Should they start dating? How did they even begin to make this potential relationship even remotely normal if they've already done everything else ass backwards?

It's a never ending string of questions that keeps Steve awake well into the night. He really needs to ask Danny what he thinks, but he's afraid to hear the answers. Maybe Danny isn't taking this as seriously as Steve. Maybe he thinks this proposal thing had been a big joke. But hadn't Steve all but confessed that he couldn't let this go; whatever  _this_ is going on between them. The potential  _this_. If he knows that why would he think Steve had been joking? No one can be that oblivious.

Danny looks up, his eyes meeting Steve's, and Steve feels his stomach lurch as he looks away quickly. He fiddles with his keyboard, lightly tapping the keys, nervous energy thrumming through him. He has to do something. He has to talk to Danny. He can't keep stewing in these questions, hoping it'll either go away or Danny will force his hand. If there's one thing Steve knows about Danny is he doesn't let things go, and this is a  _huge_ thing. He's eventually going to want to talk about it.

With a sigh, Steve shoves himself to his feet and leaves his office, heading across the hall to Danny's. He doesn't bother knocking, barging in like he owns the place, and says, "We need to talk."

"Please, don't bother knocking," Danny retorts leaning back in his chair, schooling his features into a scowl, "it's not like I'm busy or anything."

Steve huffs. "We need to talk," he repeats, shutting the door behind him.

Danny sits up, the scowl dropping from his face, and he suddenly looks tired. "Yeah," he agrees nodding. "Yeah, we do."

"Okay. Okay." This is happening. They are going to talk; they're going to clear some things up and maybe then Steve can sleep more than a few hours. But when he opens his mouth to say what he wants to say, the words stick in his throat. He tries again, but he's never been the best at telling people how he feels, and he gives up a few seconds later.

Danny snorts, "Good talk." He returns his attention to his computer, not quite keeping the irritation off his face, and Steve feels his stomach sink. "If you'll excuse me, I've got a lot of work to do."

"Look, Danny..." Come on, he tells himself, just  _say_ something. "Wanna get coffee some time?" he blurts out before he can stop himself.

Danny's head snaps up, his mouth hanging open in surprise, and Steve has once again rendered him speechless. If he keeps this up, Steve might have to start doing most of the talking. Something he's never really considered before. There's going to be a lot of long silences if that's the case.

Finally, Danny coughs, closing his mouth. Several emotions skitter across his face, too fast for Steve to process, before he clears his throat and hoarsely asks, "Did you, did you just ask me on a date?"

"Uh, yes, I believe I did," Steve answers nodding his head. It's no use trying to cover it up. He knows what he did, Danny certainly knows what he did, hell he'd be surprised if Chin and Kono didn't know on some level. What would be the sense in lying?

Danny seems to sag in his chair, sighing in relief. "Thank God, because I almost asked you on one."

"What?"

"Jesus, Steve, do you have any idea how long I've wanted to ask you out? Like forever. But I always figured you'd say no, which would have been fine and totally your choice, but then you proposed. Which, yeah, might have been a ploy to shut me up, but then the other day in your kitchen happened. And the look on your face." Danny shrugs sheepishly, pushing himself to his feet and moving forward the few steps to stand in front of Steve. "You're crazy as shit and reckless and incapable of sitting still longer than ten minutes, but God help me I like you. So, yes, you big goof, I will go on a date with you."

Steve crosses his arms, shaking his head, but he can't quite keep the smile off his face. "I'm fully capable of sitting still for longer than ten minutes." He doesn't even bother pointing out the irony of Danny saying this to him.

"Keep telling yourself that, Steve," Danny retorts grinning, patting Steve's chest. He turns, heading back towards his desk. "Pick me up tonight at seven," Danny says, sinking into his chair again. "Wear something other than cargo pants."

"I'll wear what I want."

Danny rolls his eyes, but he's still smiling so Steve takes that as a good sign. He turns to leave, knowing he needs to get back to his paperwork, but a sudden impulsiveness surges through him and he whirls back around, stalking across the room. He grabs the arms of Danny's chair, spinning him so they're facing each other. Before Danny can protest, Steve leans down and presses his lips to Danny's in a chaste kiss.

When he pulls back, Danny moves with him, his eyes closed, a quiet breath puffing against Steve's cheek. He sighs softly, opening his eyes, and looks up at Steve in wonder. For a long moment they stare at each other, neither one saying a word, but finally Steve whispers, "Found another way to shut you up."

Breathlessly, Danny says with no heat, "Fuck off, McGarrett."

Steve quirks an eyebrow, smirking, and pushes away from Danny's chair. "Seven, right?"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah." Danny nods, unconsciously running the tip of his tongue across his bottom lip. "Seven."

When Steve closes Danny's office door behind him, he sees Kono and Chin looking directly at him from across the room, both wearing knowing grins, but he doesn't let it bother him, too busy thinking of warm lips and the lingering scent of Danny's aftershave.

Proposing had been the best worst idea he'd ever had.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ever get the sudden urge to start writing a new chapter for a story you thought you'd finished ages ago? Yeah, me too
> 
> Thanks for reading and for all the comments and kudos :)

Rain hammers down on their heads as they run towards Steve's truck, the lights from the coffee shop turning off behind them. Steve fumbles with his keys, unlocking the door, and the two scramble inside. Steve starts the truck, turning the heater on, laughing as Danny struggles to get out of his sweatshirt.

"It's not funny, Steve," Danny grumbles peering at him through the head hole. "I'm stuck."

Still laughing, Steve reaches over and helps Danny, freeing him from the shirt. He tosses it into the backseat and sits back, watching Danny with a fond smile as he places his hands over the heater. Water drips down the side of Danny's face, landing on his already wet shoulder, and Steve has to look away. It'd be a little inappropriate to lick rain water off his partner, even if they are technically on a date.

"We gonna go or sit here?" Danny asks curiously, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Yeah," Steve replies and pulls out of his parking spot.

Danny reaches for the radio just as Steve does, their fingers brushing, and for the briefest of moments their eyes meet. Danny gives him a small smile, and Steve's heart skips a beat. His eyes return to the road, but he spends the rest of the drive absentmindedly playing with Danny's fingers; a comfortable silence settling over the truck.

The rain has mostly stopped by the time he pulls up to Danny's place. Steve turns the truck off, following Danny out of the cab, and the two walk towards the door. Danny stops first, keys in hand, but doesn't unlock the door. Instead, he turns, leaning against the wood, a playful glint in his eyes, and asks, "Is this the part where you expect me to invite you in?"

"Depends," Steve retorts, holding back a smile. "You going to make me breakfast in the morning?"

"Is that all it takes to win Steve McGarrett's heart? Breakfast in the morning?"

"Among other things." He wants to go inside so badly, wants to wake up tomorrow morning curled around Danny, maybe spend the entire weekend in bed with him, but he also doesn't want to rush anything. He'd made a lot of mistakes with Cat, starting with rushing blindly into their relationship, and he would hate to do the same with Danny. So, against every impulse he has to throw himself at Danny, he takes a step back and smiles. "Rain check?"

"What?" Bewilderment flashes across Danny's face, and Steve's heart sinks when he sees the hurt flicker in his partner's eyes.

"I want to," he says quickly, needing Danny to understand that he's not going anywhere. "I just-" he trails off, rubbing the back of his neck, dropping his gaze to the ground.

"Just what?"

He meets Danny's eyes and says, "I don't want to mess this up, okay? My whole life, I've rushed into things..."

"Yeah, that's an understatement," Danny mutters but Steve ignores him.

"...I don't want to do the same with you."

Danny's quiet for a moment, processing what Steve just said, but then he nods. He moves a step towards Steve, face softening, and says, "I understand."

Relief floods through Steve and he smiles. He nods towards his truck, wondering if it's too early to start planning a second date, but the suggestion catches in his throat when Danny asks, "Do I at least get a goodnight kiss?"

Surprised, Steve laughs, but he nods. He takes a step towards Danny, cupping the side of his face, and leans down, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. He feels Danny huff against his face, his blond hair rubbing against Steve's chin when he shakes his head, but when he pulls back Danny is fighting a smile. "Well played, McGarrett."

"I have my moments," Steve retorts, winking at Danny.

He starts to head back to his truck, but stops when he feels someone grab his elbow. He turns around, almost losing his balance when Danny tugs him down to his level, gripping Danny's upper arm to keep himself standing. Danny doesn't try to kiss him nor does he say anything. Instead he rests his forehead against Steve's, his breath warm against Steve's face as he breathes slowly, and Steve lets his hand trail down Danny's arm, gently gripping Danny's wrist, rubbing his thumb against his skin.

They stand like that for nearly a minute before Danny releases him, taking a step back, and he offers Steve one last smile before unlocking his door and disappearing inside. "Good night, Steve," he says softly before closing the door.

Steve can't stop smiling the whole way home.


End file.
